Finally Saw that Sucker!

[chikinwing]

I finally saw what has been killing and taking my chickens one by one. I have lost a total of 9 this summer, among them my favorite hen and rooster. A huge fox! When I kept loosing them I decided to keep them penned up in their run and not let them free range anymore. They would be taken right in the middle of the day. Well I guess Mr. Fox decided to inspect why his food was not free ranging and I saw him down by my coop this morning trying to figure out how to get in.

I ran down there barefoot with my little boston terrier who took off on the hunt but it was gone in the woods by then. What is the best way to catch a fox? I know they are cunning, but what should I do?

 

[teach1rusl]

I'm not sure how to catch a fox, other than lay in wait and shoot, but this: "Well I guess Mr. Fox decided to inspect why his food was not free ranging..." just cracked me up for some reason

 

[dufus]

try a hav=a=hart and bait it with sardines, the easiest method of trapping... there is [ or used to be 50 years ago ] lots of fox hunters around here, they would chase them with beagles. to train the young dogs, they would take posthole diggers and dig a hole 3'-4' deep, on a 45* angle. put a piece of 6'' stovepipe in the hole, and place sardines or tuna in the bottom, sprinkle a little of the juice around the top. the fox would go down the pipe to eat the bait, and then could not back out. they would grab his tail and pull him into a gunny sack then turn loose later in front of the pups.

 

[midget_farms]

I had a fox problem - got my favorite rooster.

First I called the state and got a neusance permit to kill it. Making me legal. It took 5 minutes and they were great about sending it too me.

Then I set up the live trap - larger is better - they wont go into a small one.

I used raw chicken from the discount rack at the store - the old almost expired cheap stuff.

For 1 week I laid the chicken on the outside of the trap - on top and around the opening.

Then I started putting it inside the trap - at the mouth of the cage for the first few days then gradually further back.

It took 3 weeks to get that sucker - but it finally worked!

Still wish I had that rooster.

 

[aprophet]

the best way is with coil spring traps I often have the critter the nxt day if you are trying to cage trap K-9's google drift fencing it will work well but I can do it a lot faster with long spring/coil spring traps LOL most weeks the group is cleaned out in 2-3 days good luck

 

[maizy'smom]

This may not help with catching a fox, but.....a few years back, we were having quite a problem with woodchucks eating much of our garden. Using the "have-a-heart" trap, the first year, only bagged us one possum. But the second year, I changed the bait from apples to garden lettuce(worked like magic), caught one woodchuck, and cleaned out the trap. Before I even re-baited it, the second woodchuck walked right in! So, when I brought it back and washed it out, I didn't even open it..let alone bait it, and good thing, too! That night I heard a noise and went to investigate, only to find a skunk checking out the trap! I couldn't help thinking, what ever would I have done if I HAD caught the skunk? I'd never have gotten it out without it spraying me, the trap, the garden......there was just no happy ending to that story! The moral of this story is just, be careful what you ask for! You never know what you might catch!

mm

 

[aprophet]

maizy'smom :

This may not help with catching a fox, but.....a few years back, we were having quite a problem with woodchucks eating much of our garden. Using the "have-a-heart" trap, the first year, only bagged us one possum. But the second year, I changed the bait from apples to garden lettuce(worked like magic), caught one woodchuck, and cleaned out the trap. Before I even re-baited it, the second woodchuck walked right in! So, when I brought it back and washed it out, I didn't even open it..let alone bait it, and good thing, too! That night I heard a noise and went to investigate, only to find a skunk checking out the trap! I couldn't help thinking, what ever would I have done if I HAD caught the skunk? I'd never have gotten it out without it spraying me, the trap, the garden......there was just no happy ending to that story! The moral of this story is just, be careful what you ask for! You never know what you might catch!

mm

even though you "cleaned " it the woodchuck smelled the previous chuck that is the best bait you can use most of the time is another animals scent skunks are much like possums in what will attract them into a trap​

 

[MareeZoCool]

There are plenty of wild rabbits and ground nesting birds satisfying the fox we've seen on our property. The chickens haven't been bothered for over a year.

 

[chikinwing]

Thanks for all the ideas! I had not heard of the hav-a-hart trap. It sounds like from the reponses, I'll have to outwit the fox. I will definitely try some of these methods. We have plenty of wildlife around here to feed this fox, it seems he was getting his tummy full with little or no work since my chickens were free ranging during the day. Now he is going to have to work harder and fight me to get my girls.

 

[NC29mom]

We are also fighting/hunting fox.........lost upwards of about 70 chickens in <1 week. Couldn't figure out how in the world something was killing that many birds at one time......until we saw them at dusk one evening..................................a mama.....2 kits........................ AND a daddy. And, the kits were several months old..............definitely old enough to be participating in the hunt. So, four foxes x our chickens=devestating loss

We have set up foot traps.....foxes are way too smart to walk into any other type of boxed trap. Just know, with the foot traps, you will need several....because if the fox gets hung in only one of the traps, he will likely get loose. Place them close together. So, that once he hits the first trap he will start to dance around and hopefully trigger another trap to catch at list 2 limbs.

Foxes are extremly smart. EXTREMLY....don't take them lightly. They can dig and dig and dig and dig to get under even the best deep fencing. And, they can squeeze their bodies through the tinest spot. They are also very scent driven. Know your scent is an automatic deterent. We found where our "fox family" was getting in. We set the foot traps at the entrance....in 2 nights, they haven't been back. And, they were coming every night for about a week. They know we have figured them out. Plus, they have enough stowed away to feed them for several nights, as they take some of the kill with them.

My fiance & his hunting buddies went fox hunting last night. They used a distressed rabbit call. Unfortunatly, yielded nothing. BUT....hunt continues.

Wishing you the best of luck in KILLING your predators. You could just have a "Fox family" too.....